Heart Cake decorated by brothers
Well all you Brandt fans out there...this will most likely be my last post for a while. I so appreciate how friends and family continue to ask about and pray for this amazing little man. And the really great news is that he continues to thrive! Both his 1-yr pediatric check up and last cardiology visit show continued growth and strong heart function. We'll have another echocardiogram the end of September, but unless anything changes, there are no planned heart surgeries or procedures until he reaches around 33 lbs. Most likely between 2 and 3 years of age.
We PRAISE our great God and plan to just ENJOY every single day--and Brandt sure makes that easy to do. He continues to bring joy to so many people with his smiles and happy waves and faces. We made a quick weekend trip to Myrtle Beach with family, and he loved getting to be outside for bike rides, swimming, and some limited time in the sand. This is such a change considering we have basically kept him in through his first year of life to avoid extreme heat, cold and germs. Dr. Raunikar reassured us that at this point, he can pretty much self-regulate as far as his tolerance to temperature and fatigue. And he definitely lets us know--plays hard and then crashes hard to sleep! He took his first long trip-- to Ohio in July--and while he's still not a fan of long trips or the car seat, we were excited to get to introduce him to friends and family there. Including a close family friend who is very sick with cancer and its extensive treatment. So we were thankful that he did as well as he did for the necessary traveling. He also enjoyed a little day trip to an amusement park and loved his first carousel ride--in fact we decided he would probably jump on some coasters with the older brothers if he could--no fear here!
He LOVES electronics and can unlock pretty much any cell phone he comes in contact with as well as operate remote controls, light switches, and the dish washer... Lights and fans are long-time favorites, and this week, almost exactly a week after his 15 mos birthday he started WALKING. Just took off with over 10 steps. He had been taking some hesitant little steps that were more of a lunge, but he seems to finally have the hang of keeping his balance. We are just blessed beyond words with his continued progress and growth. So enjoy a couple more recent pictures, and know that he's doing well. I will plan to post only for any significant changes at least in the near future, but again cannot express our gratitude for all the ongoing support and prayer for him that has been communicated by so many!
